


Flirts and Feathers

by ghostystarr



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bird Puns and Bad Flirting, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Romance, solangelo, solangelo anthology
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-04-12 11:48:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4478204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostystarr/pseuds/ghostystarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nico stays behind to chat with the Bird Guy at the Zoo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Flirts and Feathers

**Author's Note:**

> On top of putting everything together, I also wrote this little one shot for the Solangelo Anthology bc I have so self-control. B)
> 
> (Also I know Thalia is older than Jason but for the sake of the fic...)

“Hazel, slow down!” Nico shouted after a laughing little girl. “Watch where you’re going!”

Beside him, Jason laughed and clapped him on the shoulder. “Relax, will you? She’s got Thalia, she’s fine!”

Nico huffed, crossing his arms in a nonchalant manner, but he didn’t take his eyes off of his little sister, who was teetering a bit too far over the railing of the lion exhibit for his comfort. Ignoring Jason’s cocky grin, Nico stomped over and pulled her back by the hood. “Watch!” he scolded. “Do you want to be Lion Chow?”

Hazel, who barely came up to Nico’s waist, pouted at him in that irresistibly cute way. “I just wanted to see Simba!”

“That’s a movie,” Nico mumbled but released his hold on her, letting her scramble eagerly up the railing again. “Just be careful,” he added.

“Dude, I’ve never seen you so… parental.” Jason laughed as he walked up, arms behind his head in a stretch. “Did someone take a trip to Oz and find himself a heart?”

With Hazel’s attention captivated by the large cats sleeping below, Nico was free to deliver a rude hand gesture to his best friend’s face. “Shut it, Grace.”

Jason just laughed again. “Seriously, man! I’m just saying! It’s kind of cute how much you care for your sister.”

Nico wrinkled his nose in distaste. The words just didn’t blend. Nico wasn’t cute. He’d been labeled a punk, a rebel. He stuck out like a sore thumb with his dark clothes, ripped black jeans, and tattoos. Still, it didn’t exactly take a microscope to see that he had a soft spot for his seven year old sister. When Jason suggested that they take their sisters and head out to the zoo, Hazel had overheard and become insatiably excited to see the lions, and Nico had succumbed to those big brown eyes and curly pig-tails.

Nico shrugged and started to fan himself with the zoo map. “I’m sweating my ass off here.”

Jason snorted. “Well, duh! Look how you’re dressed!”

Nico redirected his glare from the sun to his friend. How Nico and Jason were friends were beyond him. Jason was a jock, star of the football team and the track team. He wore his jersey like it was forever glued to his chest and either cargo shorts or jeans to match. He was kind, popular, and was dating the prettiest girl in school. Nico was the absolute polar opposite with his typical dark look and tattoos and tendency to scowl at anything that moved. Jason found him amusing, apparently, and they’d been friends ever since Nico had moved across the street from Italy over ten years ago. “Sorry, is there not enough black for you?” was Nico’s smart response and Jason rolled his eyes.

“Let’s go to the bird house,” he said loud enough to garner their sisters’ attention. “It’s dark and air-conditioned so His Highness won’t die from heat stroke.”

Nico opened his mouth to retort with a colorful insult but Hazel bounced over and took his hand, killing the obscenities in his throat. Jason chuckled triumphantly and gave him a look that clearly stated that he had no problems using the sister card to his advantage. Nico just huffed and let Hazel direct them towards the bird house, muttering directions for her to follow.

When they walked in, it was indeed dark and blessedly cool. Immediately, he felt a thousand times better. His pale skin wasn’t meant to be out in the beating sun for hours at a time, and he could already feel the beginnings of sunburn on his neck and cheeks.

They strolled through the exhibit, hanging back as Hazel and Thalia bounced with their faces against the glass, pointing up at all the different parrots and pigeons they passed. Nico and Jason were locked in another one of their infamous debates when Hazel let out a high-pitched squeal. “NICO!”

Immediately, Nico’s attention snapped onto her and he darted forward. “Hazel? What’s wrong?”

“There’s a man in there!” she shouted excitedly, pulling her brother’s sleeve so he would bend down to her level. “Look!”

Feeling slightly annoyed, Nico crouched down and looked with little interest. There really was a man in the exhibit, wearing a forest green polo and khaki shorts, holding an eagle on one arm and a macaw on the other. He had a headset on, with the microphone poised right at his thin lips. Nico’s eyes flittered down the young man’s tall form, raising an eyebrow appreciatively at his lean but toned legs. He was tan and definitely handsome with his toothy smile and bright blue eyes. His hair was unnaturally blond, glittering against the green foliage in the exhibit, and when their eyes meet for just a fraction of a second, Nico’s heart smacked into his ribcage. The macaw flew off of the man’s arm and flew up to perch on a branch in front of Nico.

“Hey, everybody!” the man said, his voice booming through the speakers above Nico’s head. It was a strong and rich voice, a bit higher than Nico would have expected, but goosebumps still appeared on Nico’s skin. He blamed it on the air conditioning. “Welcome to the Elysium Zoo! My name is Will and I’m a part of the wildlife rescue program here.” He smiled wide and bounced the bald eagle on his arm. “This is Hairy! He’s an American Bald Eagle, our national animal. This little guy is only a few months old. He fell out of his nest during a storm, but we were able to make sure he got the care he needed to grow up big and strong.”

Nico felt something uneasy in his gut when their eyes met again.

The caretaker – Will – grinned. “When we found him, he had a broken wing and was a bit small for his age. If left alone, he probably wouldn’t have made it to adulthood, but now look at him!” Will thrust his arm up and the eagle soared up to the glass, earning an awed gasp from the audience - Nico included. Hazel and he exchanged quick looks and watched as the eagle flew around and Will continued. “Now, these guys actually tend to live near the coast and eat primarily fish, but they can be found all over the country during migration periods like the winter.

“They reach adulthood at about four years, so Hairy, here, is still just a little baby.” Will reached his arm up and, nearly immediately, the eagle swooped down to perch onto him with a ruffle of his feather. “But, one day, we’ll have to release Hairy into the wild so he can find a pretty lady and start a family of his own. Did you guys know that bald eagles build the largest nests of any bird in America? The largest recorded nest weighed over one ton! Imagine trying to renovate that kitchen!”

A few parents chuckled at that, and even Nico found his lips twitching. Really, it wasn’t the joke; it was just the way the zookeeper seemed to light up at all the smiles.

The show went on for a few more minutes, with Will dazzling the audience with more tricks from Hairy and blurting out more facts about the species and cracking awful one-liners. Will’s eyes kept flickering over to where Nico sat. Nico liked to believe he had noticed him and started concocting an impossible fantasy in his head, but most likely it was coincidence and all in Nico’s head.

As Will explained why he needed to wear thick gloves and armguards, Nico watched the way his lips moved when he spoke, the relaxed, comfortable way he moved around, and the lax, genuine way his eyes sparkled whenever he looked up at Hairy.

Then, as Nico was lost in his own impure thoughts, the show came to an end and the sound of applause startled him back to reality. Will beamed and thanked them for coming, asking for another round of applause for Hairy the eagle. Nico found his hands clapping along as the eagle took one last flight around the enclosed area.

“Thanks everyone! I’ll be up in front of the bald eagle exhibit to answer any questions you might have about either Hairy or any of the other feathered fellows we have!” Will’s eyes looked directly into Nico’s as he said it. “So stick around.”

Nico’s heart felt like it had just been snatched up by a pair of talons. He was coming up here? Why had he looked at Nico when he said it? He was getting way ahead of himself. There was no way the zookeeper seriously wanted to talk to him. Still…

Stick around.

“Well, you guys ready for some lunch?” Jason asked the girls, rubbing his hands together eagerly. Thalia and Hazel agreed instantly, already relaying their orders. Nico stayed by the exhibit, watching as Will left the exhibit. “Nico?” Jason called. “You coming?”

“Uh…” Nico fidgeted. “You guys go on ahead. I’m, uh, gonna… ask a question about the bald eagle.”

Jason caught his drift immediately and shook his head with a snort. “Unbelievable.”

“Shut up.”

“No, no, you go chat up the Bird Guy. I got this.” Jason shot him a thumb’s up before steering the girls away, leaving Nico alone just as he heard a loud laugh.

Nico spun in its direction, feeling something tighten in his gut, as he saw the zookeeper only a few short feet away. Immediately, he knew it was a bad idea to have stayed and remained where he was, stubbornly looking at the nearby exhibit and pretended to be interested. He watched as a macaw cleaned its wing.

“They’re pretty cool, right?” a sudden voice asked next to him and Nico jumped. The blonde zookeeper smiled sunnily at him as he gestured back to the birds. “The macaws. They’re really awesome.”

“I guess,” Nico muttered, fidgeting where he stood. He usually wasn’t so shy. In fact, if he liked something he usually went overboard with it, like his days spent playing Dungeons and Dragons with Jason in his basement. But something about Will seemed too good to be true and he felt small next to the sunny blond.

“So… you stuck around,” Will said a bit nervously, bouncing on his toes. “Do you have a question for me?”

“Um.” Nico cleared his throat. “Yeah. Bald eagles aren’t really bald, right?”

Will blinked at him for a second before breaking into loud laughter. “No, no, they have feathers on their head.”

Nico felt his face grow warm. “I guess I meant why they’re called bald eagles?”

“Bald used to mean ‘white head’ not ‘hairless’. When they named the species, they meant it literally as ‘White-Headed Eagle’.” Will smirked. “Is that all you wanted to ask me?”

Nico couldn’t seem to summon up his voice so he just shrugged.

Will hummed. “Then can I ask you a question?”

Nico shrugged again. “Shoot.”

“What’s your name?”

Nico looked up to meet Will’s persistent gaze, flushing a bit when he saw what looked like definite interest in those deep pools of blue. “Nico,” he muttered.

“Nico,” Will repeated. He extended a hand. “My name’s Will. Nice to meet you.”

Nico took it, feeling a warm jolt surge through him at the contact. “Ditto.” He gestured to Will’s uniform. “You always want to be an animal rescuer?”

Will chuckled. “Nah, this is just a summer job. Looks great on applications for med schools, yanno?”

Of course. He was good-looking, kind, and smart. Will started to laugh and Nico realized he had said that aloud. He quickly huffed and glared at the macaws.

“Well, I don’t know about all that!” Will chuckled. “I just like helping out, yanno? Whether it’s animals or humans.” Will’s eyes glanced down Nico’s figure. “I’ve got another question for you.”

“Hm?”

“What are you doing Friday night?”

Nico raised an eyebrow and Will just grinned innocently even with that suggestive glint in his eyes. Feeling far too smug, Nico shrugged and turned back to the macaws. “Going to dinner with some bird brain, probably.”

Will beamed and took a step closer. “How about dinner and a show?”

When Will had said ‘show’ Nico figured he meant a movie, but when Friday rolled around and Will drove them back to the zoo he hadn’t been expecting this.

Sitting in the middle of the macaw exhibit with four colorful parrots all perched on his head and arms while Will laughed like a madman and took pictures on his phone. It was definitely a strange first date, but an unforgettable one. In fact, Nico could recall it even four years later when he accepted a silver ring.

**Author's Note:**

> You can download the Solangelo Anthology here as either a: [pdf](http://www.mediafire.com/download/hzsevrr2cecdi42/Sun+and+Stars+-+The+Solangelo+Anthology.pdf) or a [mobi](http://www.mediafire.com/download/cc0hn4cpdwu9i16/Sun+and+Stars+-+The+Solangelo+Anthology.mobi)
> 
> tumblr; [ghostystarr](http://ghostystarr.tumblr.com)


End file.
